Bids
Bids Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
- 3 players: Use 1-10 of any three colours of the bid cards + 1-10, "2x" & "-5" of the point cards.
- 4 players: Add 1-10 of the fourth colour of bid cards.
- 5 players: Add 11 & 12 of all colours (including black) and one white ally card.
- 6 players: Add 13 & 14 of all colours.
Separate all the (black) point cards and shuffle the coloured bid cards into one deck. In a 3 to 5 player game, take out one random bid card from the deck and remove it from play. In a 6-player game, all bid cards are used. Add one random point card to the deck of bid cards (two for 5 players or three for 6 players) and give every player ten cards from the deck. Put the rest of the point cards in the centre face down.
Playing the Game
At the start of each turn, flip over the top point card. This is the card that players will be bidding for. All players must bid one by one in clockwise order exactly one of their ten cards at every turn. In the first turn of the first round, the player with the longest name (surname as a tiebreaker) starts bidding. The player with the highest bid wins the turn, takes the point card from the middle and places it in front of them. The used bid cards are discarded and do not have any further meaning in this round. In case of a tie between the highest bids, the point card(s) of that turn are "burned" and nobody receives any of the point cards. Burned point cards are placed at the bottom of the point card pile. In the next turn the player who placed the highest bid or in case of tie, the last player who burned starts bidding (The Burner is the Turner).
Black in Hand
A player can have a point card in his hand that he received when the cards were handed out to the players. He also needs to bid with this card like any other card, but the value of that black card is added to the value of that turn. This means that when players are bidding for a black "5" and one of the players bids a black "8", the winner of the turn receives 8 + 5 points. If the black "8" is the highest bid (and there is no tie), this player wins the 8 + 5 points. If the bid of one of the other players is higher, that other player will take both cards and receive 8 + 5 points.
End of a Round
A round ends after ten turns. This means that not all point cards in the middle will be turned around. Sum all points with the points of previous rounds and the next round can start. In the following round, the player with the highest total score starts bidding in the first turn. In case of a tie, the score in the last round is the tie breaker. If this is still the same, the player with the highest card in the last round starts. The game finishes after six rounds unless all players agree on a different number.
The Lucky Loser
All players who do not have any black card in front of them at the end of a round receive a number of points depending on the number of players and how many rounds they have won the lucky loser points.
| # rounds | 3 players | 4 players | 5 players | 6 players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 x 12 = 12 | 1 x 8 = 8 | 1 x 8 = 8 | 1 x 7 = 7 |
| 2 | 2 x 12 = 24 | 2 x 8 = 16 | 2 x 8 = 16 | 2 x 7 = 14 |
| 3 | 3 x 12 = 36 | 3 x 8 = 24 | 3 x 8 = 24 | 3 x 7 = 21 |
| 4 | 4 x 12 = 48 | 4 x 8 = 32 | 4 x 8 = 32 | 4 x 7 = 28 |
| 5 | 5 x 12 = 60 | 5 x 8 = 40 | 5 x 8 = 40 | 5 x 7 = 35 |
| 6 | 6 x 12 = 72 | 6 x 8 = 48 | 6 x 8 = 48 | 6 x 7 = 42 |
| ... | ... x 12 | ... x 8 | ... x 8 | ... x 7 |
Example (with 4 players): a player wins 9 points in round 1. In the next three rounds he ends without having any black card. In the fifth round, he receives 13 points and in the last round, he did not have any black card in front of him at the end. This means that after six rounds, he will have 9 + (1x8) + (2x8) + (3x8) + 13 + (4x8) = 102 points.
Colour Bids
In colour bids the highest card of the colour(s) of which the most cards are played in that turn, wins. For example: in a turn the following cards are played: red "4" - blue "5" - green "9" - blue "7". In colour bids the blue "7" wins because there are two blue cards and only one red and one green. The count of the colour 'Black' always needs to be increased with 1 because also the black card in the middle is counted. In the special case that black appears the most and the highest black card on the table is the one in the middle, the turn is considered as "burned" and the same player as the previous turn has to start again.
Special Cards
Optionally players can add special cards to the pile of (black) point cards. If any of these special cards (except for the "-5") is in the hand of one of the players, that player plays this card like any other card but never wins the turn in which he plays this card.
The Ally
This card is always shuffled into the deck of bid cards and therefore always ends up in the hand of one of the players. This player plays the ally card like any other card and will work together with the winner of the turn in which he played the card. This means that at the end of the round the points of both players will be summed and divided by two (rounding up in case of an odd number). In case of a tie between the highest bidders, there is no alliance.
Only one of the "ally" cards is used in the game and the second "ally" card is placed next to the player who played the "ally" card.
When a player is in an alliance with another player but does not have any black cards at the end of the round, this player does not receive the lucky loser points for this round, but his lucky loser count is increased with 1. Example (with 5 players): In round 1, a player ends without any black card, he receives 8 points. In round 2, he plays is in an alliance with another player, but he does not have any black card at the end of the round. He receives have of the alliance points but does not receive the 16 points for a lucky loser round. In round 3 he ends again without black cards; now he receives 24 points.
The -5
The player winning the turn in which this card appears, will receive -5 points. If at the end of the round a player only has this card, his result of that round will be -5 points and he will not receive the lucky loser points. If this card is in the hand of one of the players, that player will bid "-5" when he plays this card and the "-5" will go to the winner of the turn in which this card is played. If the highest bid is a tie, nobody receives this card.
The 2x
For the player who wins this card, all the points received in the previous turns will be doubled. This card has no effect on the points received afterwards. Point cards that are played in the same turn as the "2x" appears are also doubled. If this card is in the hand of one of the players, he plays this card and the "2x" will go to the winner of the turn in which this card is played. You can never win this card if it is in your hands. If the highest bid is a tie, nobody receives this card.
The Thief
The player winning the turn in which this card appears, has to steal one black card from the person who has the lowest bid in that turn. For example: if the bids are 10-8-6-5, the player who bid 10 has to steal one of the cards of the player who bid 5. The player chooses one of the cards that the player with the "5" already won earlier in that round. If he has not won any cards that round, the thief steals from the lowest bidder who already won a card. If the highest bid is a tie, nobody receives this card. If the lowest bid is a tie, the thief can choose from whom he steals.
The Shuffle
When this card appears, there is no bidding for this card. The remaining point cards pile is shuffled again and the card is discarded. This means that all point cards that were burned (see description before) can appear again. The next point card is turned around and bidding continues. If this card is in the hand of one of the players, the pile of the black cards is shuffled at the end of the turn before turning the next black card. If in this latter case the highest bid is a tie, the pile will not be shuffled.
The Lowest
When this card appears, there is no bidding for this card. From this moment on, the lowest bidder will be the winner for the rest of the round. The card is put aside and the next point card is turned around. If the card is in the hand of one of the players, the rule of "lowest bidder wins" comes into place starting from the next turn on, as long as the highest bid is not a tie. If in this latter case the highest bid is a tie, the rule does not come into place.
The Surprise
When this card appears, players are bidding for the next point card of the pile without knowing what that card will be. If this card is in the hand of one of the players, the winner receives the next point card and the current point card that players were bidding for is put at the bottom of the pile of point cards. If the highest bid is a tie, no one receives any black card and the next turn the players will be bidding for the next card of the point cards pile.
The Blank Card
Two extra cards are added to the deck in case any card gets lost. Feel free to make your own card and let us know why we should add this card as a standard card to the game.